Once he arrived at the studio, Arthur was shown to a dressing room. He stood in front of the mirror while he waited for Murray Franklin and thought about Wendy. He didn't mean to frighten her so badly. He didn't know what had come over him and he didn't know what he was doing. He knew this clown character had probably ruined his chance of keeping her in his life, but this was something he had to do to protect her. He was going down a dark road and couldn't let her get hurt because of him. He had to let her go. He would miss her, but at least she would be safe from him.
This is it, Arthur thought to himself. My big moment. He looked down and reached a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a tube of bright pink lipstick, the same one Wendy had been looking for earlier.
Arthur looked straight ahead and used the lipstick to write a message on the mirror: Put on a happy face. He let the message sink in for a minute, then sat down in a chair and started to do touch ups on his face. There was a makeup kit in the dressing room. He fixed his hair, then started redoing the blue diamond pattern around his left eye. He wanted to look his best tonight.
Arthur finished the final touch on his makeup and switched on the TV, watching the news while he smoked a cigarette and waited to go on the show. The same old stuff over the last few weeks: politics, the garbage strike, the rat sightings, the subway murders, the clown riots. The latest news mentioned two police detectives who were beaten and battered on the subway platform. Arthur laughed at that, taking a drag and blowing out smoke.
There was a knock on the door and Murray Franklin walked in, along with his producer, Gene. They were both surprised and taken aback by the sight of the man in the red suit and clown makeup.
"Murray!" Arthur exclaimed, setting his cigarette into the ashtray and standing up. An excited grin formed across his painted face, but on the inside, he was holding back all the contempt he had for the older comedian.
"Hey, it's Mr. Franklin, buddy", said Gene. "Show some respect."
"Hey, relax, Gene", Murray told him. He looked at Arthur and reassured him, "Murray's fine, kid. I prefer it, in fact."
"Thanks, Murray", said Arthur, shaking his hand. "I can't believe I'm actually here. I've been watching you all my life."
Murray nodded in appreciation, then took note of Arthur's attire and asked him, "So, what's with the face? Are you part of the protest or something? Is this a political statement?"
"No", Arthur reassured him, shaking his head. "No, I'm not political, Murray. I don't believe in any of that. I don't believe in anything. I just thought it would be good for my act."
"For you act?" Gene questioned him. "Didn't you hear what happened? Some guy got killed on the subway today."
"No, I didn't hear about that", said Arthur, pretending to play innocent.
Gene turned to Murray and complained, "There. You see? I don't think this is a good idea. People are going to go nuts if they see this guy. Maybe for a few minutes, perhaps, but a whole segment? This is crazy."
"Come on, Gene", said Murray, brushing him off. "That's all bullshit. Besides, I like it. It's timely, it's edgy, but it's also dangerous. The best comedy is all those things put together. We're gonna go with it."
Arthur laughed gleefully and said, "Thank you, Murray."
"Couple of rules, though", Murray reminded him. "No cussing or any off-color material. We do a clean show. All right?"
"Mm-hmm." Arthur nodded politely, letting him that know he understood.
"You'll go on right after Dr. Sally. Someone will come and get you. Good?"
Arthur nodded again.
"All right. Good luck, kid." Murray and Gene turned and were about to walk out, but then Arthur made one simple request before they left. They both looked back at him.
"Oh, and Murray, one small thing", said Arthur. "When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Joker?"
Murray and Gene looked at each other and then looked at Arthur again. "What for? What's wrong with your real name?" Gene questioned him.
Arthur laughed and said, "Honestly, I don't even know what my real name is. Besides, that's what you called me on the show, Murray. A joker. Remember?"
Murray looked at his producer and asked him, "Did I say that?"
"I don't know", Gene answered.
Murray shrugged and told Arthur, "Sure, kid. Whatever you say. See ya soon."
"Thanks, Murray."
The two men walked out, closing the door and leaving Arthur alone until it was his time to go on the show. He sat down in the chair again, leaning back as he pulled out the gun and cocked it, placing it underneath his chin.
Sometime later, Arthur was standing behind the blue and orange curtains, smoking a cigarette while he listened to Murray talking to his two other guests, Dr. Sally and Barry O'Donnell, about sexual problems. The audience laughed. He heard Murray addressing to the audience that they might have seen the next guest that was about to come out, as he played the video of Arthur the night he messed up his act at the comedy club. Arthur heard himself laughing on the video, feeling insulted once again. His jungle green eyes were burning with rage and fury. He felt around his waist for the quickest way to access his gun and made sure it was hidden underneath his shirt. He took a deep breath through his nose. This time, there would be no mistakes. This time, he would not fowl up. Arthur started to feel a strange sensation taking hold over his body. He heard a haunting cello theme playing in his head and started to perform a slow dance equal to the one he did on the night he killed those three Wall Street guys and took refuge in a filthy bathroom. It was time to face the audience.
"Now, before he comes out", said Murray to the audience. "I just want to say that we're all heartbroken about what's going on in the city tonight. But this is how he wanted to come out, and honestly, I think we could all use a good laugh. So, without further ado, please welcome, Joker."
The curtains parted, the band started to play, and the music swelled. Arthur forgot all about his anger and put on a show for the crowd, dancing out onto the stage as the audience applauded him. He removed the cigarette from his lips and dropped it on the ground. Somebody picked it up backstage. Arthur spun around a couple of times and walked over to Murray, shaking his hand. He went over to Dr. Sally, who offered to shake his hand, as well. Instead, Arthur took her head into his hands and planted a big kiss onto her lips against her will. This received a big reaction from the audience, though Murray felt a little uncomfortable about him pulling a stunt like that. Arthur released Dr. Sally and completely ignored Barry and took a seat in the chair next to Murray's desk, waving to the crowd just like he practiced. He ran a hand through his hair, crossing one leg over the other.
"You all right, doc?" Murray asked his female guest with concern.
Dr. Sally didn't say anything, but turned her head away and looked at Barry O'Donnell sitting on her right. He glared over at the clown man that ignored him, thinking he was being very rude.
Arthur sat there in silence, looking straight ahead at the camera and taking a minute to admire the atmosphere. The lights, the cameras, the audience. Everything he had every dreamed about was finally becoming a reality.
"You okay?" Murray asked him.
"Yeah", Arthur answered. "This is exactly how I imagined it."
Murray shrugged and joked, "Well, that makes one of us."
The audience laughed in amusement and applauded. Arthur couldn't help but smile.
"So, can you tell us about this look?" Murray asked him. "When we spoke earlier, you mentioned that you aren't political. That this is not a political statement. Is that correct?"
"That's right, Murray", Arthur answered. "I'm not political. You know, I'm...I'm just trying to make people laugh."
"And how's that working out for you?" Murray asked him.
Arthur turned his head and looked over at the two guests, then looked straight ahead at the audience and let out a high-pitched laugh. The audience laughed along with him, thinking it was part of the show.
"So, I understand you're a comedian", Murray mentioned. "Have you been working on any new material? Would you like to tell us a joke?"
The audience cheered and applauded, egging him on.
"Oh, yeah?" Arthur asked them. He chuckled and said, "Okay." He reached behind and pulled out his journal from the back pocket of his pants. The audience, even Murray, couldn't help but laugh.
"He's got a book", said Murray. "A book of jokes." He laughed again, the audience laughing with him.
Arthur unfolded his journal and opened it and flipped through the pages until he came across an old entry: I just hope my death makes more cents then my life. He paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should really commit suicide live in front of millions of viewers at home. Part of him wanted to go through with his original plan, the other part didn't. He knew it was stupid, but it was the only thing he had left. He thought about Wendy and reminded himself that he told her to watch him tonight. He thought that if he blew his brains out, it would probably scar her for life. He wasn't sure he could go through with it. He felt torn.
"Take your time", said Murray. "We got all night."
Arthur didn't like the way Murray said that, or the way the audience laughed at him. Right away, he changed his mind about committing suicide on the show and decided to fuck around with the talk show host out of revenge.
Arthur turned a page in his journal and smiled when he found an inappropriate joke. "Okay, here's one", he said. "Knock knock."
Murray shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll go along with it. Who's there?"
"It's the police, ma'am", Arthur joked. "Your son's been hit by a drunk driver. He's dead! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The audience groaned in disgust. The trumpeter from the band played the 'wha-wha-wha-whuuuuh' tune.
"No, no, you cannot joke about that", Dr. Sally told him, offended.
"Yeah, that's not funny, Arthur", Murray reprimanded him. "That's not the kind of humor we do on this show."
"Yeah, okay", said Arthur, nodding his head. He looked at the audience and said, "You're right. You know what? I'm sorry. It's just that...It's been a few rough weeks ever since I...killed those three Wall Street guys."
The audience went into total silence. They couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Even Murray wasn't sure what to make of it. He shrugged and said, "Okay, I'm waiting for the punchline."
"There is no punchline", said Arthur. "It's not a joke."
The audience gasped in shock. The cameraman and the technical director looked at each other, not sure whether they should go on with the show or cut to commercial.
Murray leaned forward in his chair and folded his arms on his desk, asking Arthur, "You're serious, aren't you? You're telling us you killed those three young men on the subway?"
"Mm-hmm." Arthur nodded.
"And why should we believe you?" Murray asked him.
Arthur gave off an arrogant shrug and said, "I've got nothing left to lose. Nothing can hurt me anymore. My life is nothing but a comedy."
The audience groaned and booed at Arthur, not a single person laughing at his dark sense of humor. It offended them.
"Let me get this straight", said Murray, trying to make sense of Arthur's statement. "You think that killing those three young men is funny?"
Arthur nodded and answered, "I do. And I'm tired of pretending like it's not. Comedy is subjective, Murray. Isn't that what they say? All of you, Gotham City, the system that knows so much, you decide what's right or wrong. The same way you decide what's fun-nay...or not fun-nay."
Murray was about to say something, but then heard a member in the audience shout out, "Get him off!" He looked out toward the audience, trying to think of a way to save the show with the way it was going and stay calm.
"Okay, I think I understand", said Murray, trying to make a genuine connection with Arthur. "You did this to start a movement, to become a symbol of some sort?"
"Come on, Mur-ray", Arthur exaggerated, egging him on. "Do I really look like the kind of clown who would start a movement? I killed those three guys because they were awful to me."
"So, that's it? That's your defense for killing those three guys? Because they were mean to you?"
"No", said Arthur. "Those three guys couldn't carry a tune to save their lives."
The audience finally gave up on Arthur and started booing him, telling him to get off the stage. Some of them even started to get up and walk out.
Arthur rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance, "Ugh, why is everyone so upset over these three guys? If it was me dying on the sidewalk, you'd walk right over me! I pass by you everyday in the street and you don't notice me. But these three guys get all the attention. Why? Because Thomas Wayne went and cried about them on TV?"
"You have a problem with Thomas Wayne now?" Murray asked.
"Yes, I do", Arthur answered. "Have you seen what it's life out there, Mur-ray? Do you ever actually leave the studio? Everybody is awful these days. Everybody just yells and screams at each other. NOBODY'S CIVIL ANYMORE! You think men like Thomas Wayne ever wonder what it feels like to be someone like me? To be somebody other than themselves? They don't. They think that we'll just sit there and take it, like good little boys and girls. That we won't turn into werewolves and go wild on our masters!"
"You finished?" Murray asked him, starting to get irritated. "I mean there's so much self-pity there, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing those three guys. Not everybody, and I'm telling you this right now, not everybody is awful."
Arthur didn't agreed with him. He glared at the talk show host and whispered darkly, "You're awful, Murray."
Murray raised his eyebrows at Arthur's remark. "I'm awful? Me? I'm awful? Tell me how I'm awful."
Arthur was quiet for a moment. "Playing my video...Inviting me on the show...You just wanted to make fun of me. You're just like the rest of them!"
"Okay, first of all, you don't know anything about me, pal", Murray told him off. "Look at what happened out there because of what you started. There are riots out there. The city's on fire. Two policemen are in critical condition. Someone was killed today because of what you started, and you're laughing. You're laughing about it."
Arthur smiled and nodded, rocking in his seat and laughing with excitement. "I know...How 'bout another joke, Mur-ray?"
"No, I think we've had enough of your sick jokes, pal", Murray protested.
"What do you get-", Arthur started.
"I don't think so", Murray interrupted.
"-when you cross-"
"I think we're done here, Arthur."
"-a mentally ill loner with a society-"
"That's enough, Arthur!"
"-THAT ABANDONS HIM AND TREATS HIM LIKE TRASH?!"
"That's it! Gene, call the police! Call the police right now!"
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU GET: YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!"
Pulling out the revolver, Arthur aimed the gun at Murray and shot him right between the eyes, splattering blood on the wall behind him. The audience screamed in terror, panicked voices filled the air as they went running out of the studio. Dr. Sally turned away and shielded her eyes with her hands, while Barry O'Donnell wrapped his arms around her to protect her.
Arthur, or rather, Joker, sat there with a small splatter of Murray's blood on his face, his twisted snarl forming back into a creepy smile. His left leg bounced up and down vigorously, as he looked toward the camera and let out a genuine laugh. He stood up and shot the corpse of Murray Franklin in the chest, then tossed the gun on the desk and skip-danced over to the camera, grabbing it and tilting it upward to address to the viewers at home.
"Good night, folks. And always remember: that's li-"
Cut off from being tackled on the ground by two security guards, Arthur felt himself hit the cold hard floor and laughed his ass off as they handcuffed him and shouted for somebody to call the police.